Beating Stress (american martial art description) with Martial Arts
September 20th, 2007
Beating Stress with Martial Arts
Are you a busy executive or mom trying to do everything? Are you getting so stressed out that it seems like you’re not accomplishing anything? If so, you can use martial arts to combat that stress! Many of the skills and techniques used in martial arts training are the same skills and techniques you can use to rid your body of stress.
So, you might be wondering how a skill that is commonly depicted as a fighting tool can actually reduce stress… Some of these common images of martial arts aren’t completely accurate. The cartoons, video games and movies showing martial arts as a fighting tool are only showing you one small facet of the art. The skills necessary for training martial arts can teach you how to balance your mind and body and give you the confidence you need to face the stressful events in your life.
HOW DO YOU DO IT?
One of the techniques used to create this balance is using breathing and meditation techniques to help you connect and control your mind and body. There are different types of meditation: sitting, standing, kneeling and moving. Find the position that works best for you. Here’s how to start.
1. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
2. Breathe deeply. To make sure you’re breathing deeply enough, put your hand on your stomach. If your stomach isn’t pushing out as you breath in, you’re not breathing deeply enough. Try to pull the air all the way to your navel before you let it out.
3. When you breathe out, keep your tongue on the roof of your mouth. This keeps helps minimize your saliva and swallowing.
In the Chinese way of thinking, breathing like this is completing a path: The mouth is a gate and the tongue on the roof of the mouth allows your vital energy called “Qi” or “Chi” (both pronounced “chee”) to circulate throughout your body. Chi is what helps your mind and body connect.
After you’ve gotten the physical aspects of breathing down, you can start counting your breaths - this is a form of meditation that many experts teach during stress management courses. Start short and work your way up.
1. Begin with a count of 4 as you breathe in and a count of 6 as you breathe out.
2. As you go along, extend the in and out until you can get a count of 6 as you breathe in and up to 24-30 as you breathe out. Just remember that you want a short, deep breath in and a slow, long breath out.
WHY DOES IT WORK?
This mind and body connection through breathing works because stress is a mental state that manifests itself as a physical symptom in your body. This physical symptom then acts as a trigger to tell you to do something about it. As you become more aware of your body, you’ll be able to notice the “trigger” before it becomes something unbearable such as a severe neck problem or a migraine headache. Once you notice your trigger, you can stop and do something about it such as practicing a breathing technique. For example, I used to get stress-induced migraines that would leave me out of commission for a whole day. Now, I’ve come to realize that it actually starts in my lower back as a small thing. If I let it go, it works its way up to my head. Now, when I noticed this trigger in my back, I stop and do my breathing. It allows the issue to surface so I can deal with it and I don’t have to deal with a migraine.
We all have those moments from time to time when we experience stress (some more frequently than others). The overall benefits of training martial arts for the mind and body (including self-awareness, self confidence, focus, concentration and physical conditioning) all lead to reducing that stress. You owe it to yourself to start relieving the stress in your life with the skills taught through martial arts. The best place to find these skills is at a fine martial arts school. Why not give it a try? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. To make it even easier, I’ll help you get started. Just contact me and I’ll send you my free report on how to pick a martial arts school.
Sincerely,
Robert Jones
Master Instructor
The Academy of Kempo Martial Arts
P.S. My 3 studios are located in Lynnwood, Kent, and Bellevue, Washington. If you live near one of those locations, please contact me.
Martialadvice@hotmail.com
www.martialarts-instruction.com
About the Author
Robert Jones runs three successful martial arts schools located in Bellevue, Lynnwood, and Kent Washington. He has been helping families make positive changes in their lives through martial arts for over 20 years. He has also written two guides on how to pick a martial arts school. One for adults and one for parents wanting to pick the right school for their children.
Mma-A Brief History
It would be impossible to fully track every aspect of the beginnings of mma. The Greeks, Romans, Cavemen? I will try to bring to you a history of mma that impacted the United States as I believe it occurred, and what is now the growing popularity in this reality fighting. When I use the term reality fighting, it refers to actual full contact striking and joint wrenching submissions. It is not meant to disrespect the traditional martial arts. In Brazil there was a competition called vale tudo (Portuguese for anything goes) In the early nineties an elder son of a very respected Brazilian jiu-jitsu (bjj) master came to the United States. This elder son and his younger brother were giving Bjj lessons out of their garage. This elder son partnered with another man and began a very popular competition where fighters of different styles would fight each other abiding by only a few rules. The younger brother of the man you started this competition dominated the fighters that stood before him. Many of the fighters were of a standing style (karate,kung-fu,etc) when this young man would take them down and tie them in a pretzel they were at a loss on how to defend against it. At this time there were no time limits on rounds. This young man would hold on to his competitors like an anaconda; wearing them down and waiting for the right moment to apply a submission hold. It did not take long for future fighters to start training in this young mans style and start gaining there own submissions. One mistake was made though. Now they were getting knocked out. The new rules to this competition incorporated rounds, and if they were on the ground too long with no action the ref would stand them back up. Not exactly a grapplers desire. With these new rules in place a new breed of fighter emerged. Mma fighters had to find a new way to cope with the double threat of stand up and ground fighting. Many of these fighters started to cross train in both ground fighting and stand up. The world of mma in the United States would never be the same. It was no longer a matter of style versus style, but who had the better stand up OR ground game. Its very complex if you think about it. Say fighter A is stronger at stand up than on the ground. His competitor, fighter B is equal at both, maybe a little better at standing and just as good a fighter as A on the ground. This scenario can be a combination of a lot of variables. There is strategy in these fights. They do not just go toe to toe with a fighter. They study their competitor and try to exploit their weakness. Regardless where mma originated from, no one can deny the explosion this sport has seen, or the skill of these athletes. These are not brainless brawlers wanting to duke it out, they are skilled combatants with a strategy wanting to compete with other skilled fighters.
Shawn Sellen is the owner of the mixed martial arts website <A HREF="http://www.mmaarticles.com">mmaarticles.com</A>
What to look for in a quality hunting knife.
What to look for in a quality Hunting Knife A quality hunting knife is made from a combination of well thought out design elements that come together in a single piece, each complementing and building on the strengths of the others. These elements, when assembled with attention to fit and finish, produce a final product that any hunter will be happy to own. I discuss these different elements below which I have found work well for me and seem agreeable to my fellow hunters as well. Blade shape: Unless you plan on actually stabbing your prey, many of the hunting knives on the market are improperly shaped for real use in the field. A knife with a Bowie style blade or a military/survival type shape can serve well as an all around utility knife and can certainly serve in the hunting capacity, but if hunting is what you are doing, why not use a knife with a blade that suits that purpose. There is no reason to settle for second best. The main purpose of a hunting knife is for field dressing of game. With this in mind, a blade with substantial belly is the preferred shape. This would mean a blade that is wider than most with a slightly exaggerated curve that provides good length for slicing, scraping and separating of tendons and ligaments. A very sharp point is actually not preferred as this will require the blade to narrow as it terminates at the point and the inch or so before the point will be too narrow for fully effective use. Instead, a blade with a more abrupt point that retains the bulk of its body all the way to the tip is best, as this will allow the full length of the blade to be employed in the dressing. These knives are often known as skinners. An excessively sharp point can actually work against the user by reducing the slicing capacity at the tip where it is needed most. Such a sharp point can also encourage errant poke throughs that can spoil a nice hide. I have not found that blood grooves in a blade make any noticeable difference and therefore do not comment for or against them. If you think they help, go for it. My only concern is that there has been valuable blade material ground away in favor of some questionable advantage. Personally, I dont look for this feature. On the other hand a gut hook is definitely an advantage and I do use knives with this feature. The gut hook will speed the opening of a kill tremendously. Just make sure you maintain the edge religiously to prevent tearing. Saw teeth on a hunting knife are not typical of the hunting knives I use. These are not found on the best hunting knives and when they are seen, the teeth are usually not sharp enough, fine enough or of sufficient linear length to be taken seriously. I view saw teeth on a hunting knife more as a gimmick. Your saw should come from a field dressing kit and be one that accepts interchangeable blades of varying teeth count. No two inches of overly coarse teeth on the back of a hunting knife can substitute for a good bone saw. Blade Length: There is no reason to consider a hunting knife with an inordinately long blade. In my opinion, a blade length of around 4-5 inches works best. This length is the perfect balance between providing enough reach and working material to get the job done, but not so much that control is sacrificed. Precise strokes are best and a blade longer than this recommended length can be harder to maneuver where needed. Handle: There are 3 characteristics of a handle that I look for in a hunting knife. These are: handle shape, handle material and blade guard. The handle shape should have contours pronounced enough to provide a solid grip in a gloved hand. Finger grooves do nicely here, but other shapes will work also. You need to experiment with different knives according to the size of your own hand, but generally speaking grooves will prevent the knife from slipping in your hand. The handle should have an oval shape from top to bottom which will prevent twisting and to allow extra purchase for prying motions when separating joints. The handle material should also contribute to the solid grip and many hunting knives have a rubberized grip or other soft material which does work well. A stippled surface can assist in the grip and this should be considered if possible. Some of the harder materials such as G-10 or even plain aluminum will work well but benefit from contouring, grooving or a palm swell. As the handle becomes wet from snow, rain or blood, the surface should not be overcome by this and begin to get slippery. I also like a blade guard on my knives. A single guard on the underside is sufficient. Even with the best handle shape and material, one can still come into trouble through carelessly relaxed hand tension or unexpected sticking during a fore stroke. A blade guard will prevent injury from this user error. Weight: The weight of the hunting knife is a balance between being as light as possible without sacrificing power. A light knife will be livelier in the hand and easier to control. Fine detail work (what there is of it) will be accomplished easier and the knife can be carried for long periods without being intrusive. On the other hand, the blade does need enough heft to accomplish its purpose. I find that hunting knives in the 3-5 ounce area serve me well. Sheath: This implies that the hunting knife is not a folder. I absolutely do not believe fixed blade hunting knives are inherently better than folders. Nevertheless, a folder does start somewhat behind the eight ball in this arena and must be well executed to be a contender. There are many of these. If you are using a fixed blade hunter, the sheath will most likely be some kind of nylon arrangement. This is the standard, generic sheath and works well. A leather sheath should be left at home. No sheath that traps or hold moisture should be considered. A Kydex sheath is a fine option as well, as long as it is not fully enclosed to retain water that may get inside. The sheath should not rattle or make noise that will give you away while stalking or in concealment. I prefer a sheath with a loop at the handle near the butt that keeps the handle near my body and not sticking out to catch on something when walking through brush or bending. Steel: Most of the hunting knives I use are made from 420 or 440 High Carbon steel. A blade of D2 tool steel works well too. The steel used in modern knives these days is well ahead of where it was even 25 years ago. With regular care that includes drying the knife at the earliest opportunity after becoming wet and storing the knife with a coat of light oil, most of the knives on the market today will last as long as you need them. I recognize there are many other aspects of hunting knives that could be addressed. This article is not intended as an exhaustive treatment of all facets of the hunting knife. However if you us these general guidelines when purchasing your next hunting knife, I am confident you will have found a reliable tool that you can own with pride.
Bob Holder is the owner of Knives Town, an online retailer of fine cutlery including many types of hunting knives.
Taekwondo - General Background
Taekwondo is derived from several martial arts with the main influence being tae-kyon - Korean kick fighting. “Tae” means to kick. “Kwon” means to strike using the hand, in most cases the fist. “Do” refers to the way of the art, like in the examples of Hapkido, Karate-do, Ninjado etc. Thus, the foundation of the art is the use of the hands and feet to overcome an attacker swiftly. History:
Taekwondo was originally developed in Korea in the 1950s, when a group of leading martial arts exponents came together to unify their respective disciplines under a single fighting system. The inauguration took place in South Korea on April 11, 1955, with Major-General Choi Hong Hi, a 9th dan black belt, being credited as the founder. However, its roots date back nearly 2000 years ago when it was born from an art known as hwarang do, meaning “the way of the flowering manhood”. The hwarang were young noblemen, influenced by Confucian teachings, who formed a patriotic society during the unification of Korea, in the Silla dynasty, around 600AD. The Silla kingdom was the smallest of 3 within the Korean peninsula and was constantly under attack from its two stronger neighbours. It was these constant invasions that led the Silla nobility to develop a fighting system to protect their kingdom. Towards the end of the 10th century, following the unification of Korea, learning Taekwondo became compulsory for all young men. However, in about the 16th century, the military traditions of the country fell out of general favour and the practice of Taekwondo was kept alive only by Buddhist monks. Following the Japanese occupation in 1909, the suppression of any form of martial art only served to further its decline. The few remaining dedicated practitioners emigrated to China and Japan and hence, the art survived. Following liberation in 1945, many Korean exiles returned to their homeland and reintroduced an improved version of Taekwondo. The Korean government, as part of its canpaign to reassert national identity after years of Japanese occupation, supported the practice of Taekwondo by officially sponsoring it. This led to a more formal approach to the teaching and grading of the discipline. Taekwondo spread worldwide from Korea in the 1960s and the first world Taekwondo championship took place in Seoul, South Korea, in 1973. Since 1988, Taekwondo has been listed as an Olympic sport. Competitive fighting:
Competitive fighting in Taekwondo is purely optional. For those who participate, competitions are split into 3 sections - sparring, patterns and destruction. Sparring involves 2 practitioners practising fighting techniques to develop their timing, focus and speed. It is performed in a controlled environment so that no unnecessary injuries occur. In competition, the aim is to score points through the delivery of correct techniques to target areas. Patterns are a set of series of combination techniques performed in a sequential order against an imaginery opponent. This is similar to Karate, which refers to patterns as kata, or Kung fu, which uses set movements called forms. Destruction refers to breaking techniques in which practitioners learn to break, for an example, a piece of wood about 0.5 to 1 cm thick. The aim is to ensure that the power and skill of the technique are truly effective. It is also designed to focus the mind.
- Thanaseelan, click on <a target="_new" href="http://www.worthofwordplay.blogspot.com">http://www.worthofwordplay.blogspot.com</a> to view his main blog. Don't forget to check out the categories on his blog.
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